Dozens of Kurdish Politicians arrested in Turkey

October 12, 2016,

Turkish police arrested tens of Kurdish politicians and activists in the city of Diyarbakir (Amed).

On Tuesday, October 11, the Turkish police launched a campaign of arrests against 55 of Kurdish politicians and activists in the largest Kurdish city of Diyarbakir. The arrests included Diyarbakir Co-leaders of People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic regions Party (DBP).

The police raided houses of the Kurdish figures as part of the ongoing campaign against the Kurdish entities in Turkey.
Last month 12 Kurdish Tv and radio stations (including children channels) were shut down.
On September 9 the Turkish authorities also removed 12,000 teachers in the Kurdish cities in allegations of “links to Kurdish militias.”
The government had opened court cases against several Kurdish deputies for “terror propaganda” including the Co-president of HDP Selahattin Demirtash.
The HDP in the third largest party in Turkey with 59 Parliamentarian seats while the DBP is the most representatives in the local administrations of the Kurdish cities of 100 municipalities.

Thousands of displaced people and hundreds of civilian death resulted after the stall of the peace process in between the government and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).